Department for Transport

Cycleways

Baroness Fox of Buckley: To ask Her Majesty's Government which local authorities the Prime Minister’s Special Adviser on Transport and Infrastructure has had direct communication with since March about the installation of bicycle lanes; and whether he indicated to any councils that any local authority that failed to install bicycle lanes could have its powers as a local highways' authority removed.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department for Transport understands that the Prime Minister’s Special Adviser on Transport and Infrastructure has had discussions with a number of local authorities since March on cycle lanes and other matters; but that he has not given such an indication to any authority.

Aviation: Coronavirus

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask Her Majesty's Government when they plan to publish their strategy for the recovery of the aviation sector.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The impact of a second wave of COVID and the need for the Government to respond has impacted on the aviation sector. The Government has therefore announced through the Global Travel Taskforce, a number of measures to assist the sector to restart over the winter period. This includes the ‘Test to release for international travel’ (TTR) scheme to be launched on 15 December, which will boost consumer confidence in air travel. Following the successful implementation of these measures, the government will then put forward of its strategic framework for the medium and long-term recovery of the aviation sector.

Railways: Tickets

Baroness Randerson: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions have taken place with ministers from Her Majesty's Treasury since 1 July about the introduction (1) of flexible season tickets, and (2) single leg pricing, on the railways; what was the outcome of any such discussions; whether they still intend to introduce those new products; and if so, when those productswill be available across the rail network.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Following the outcome of discussions between the Department for Transport and Her Majesty's Treasury, we are working closely with industry to develop a solution that offers better value and convenience for those who work flexibly. We will provide further details in due course. There have been no discussions with HMT on single leg pricing proposals since 1 July. On 2 January 2020 we launched a single leg pricing trial on LNER routes from London to Leeds, Newcastle and Edinburgh. Once demand recovers the trial will be evaluated and those findings used to inform the development of wider plans for improving fares.

Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy

National Security and Investment Bill 2019-21

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government which transactions will be called in for scrutiny from the 17 sectors listed in the proposed National Security and Investment Bill.

Lord Callanan: The call-in power may only be used if the Secretary of State reasonably suspects that (i) a trigger event has occurred or is in progress or contemplation; and (ii) that trigger event has given rise to or may give rise to a national security risk. A trigger event refers to an acquisition of control over a qualifying entity or asset. The Bill’s provisions set out a clear process for the Secretary of State to call-in an acquisition. Decisions will be made on a case-by-case basis. The 17 proposed sectors would be within scope of the ‘mandatory regime’ set out in the National Security and Investment Bill. This will require acquirers making investments in those sectors to notify and receive approval from the Secretary of State before completing certain types of acquisition. The consultation on the sectors proposed to be subject to mandatory notification is currently open until 6 January.

Climate Change Convention: Females

Baroness Jones of Whitchurch: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that the UN Climate Change Conference of Parties (COP26) UK Leadership Team includes at least 50 per cent women.

Lord Callanan: The UK is committed to championing diversity and inclusion throughout our COP26 Presidency and all civil servants in the Cabinet Office COP26 Unit have been appointed in line with Civil Service guidance and rules. Forty five percent of the Senior Management Team in the COP26 unit are women. My Rt. Hon. Friend the Prime Minister recently appointed the Hon. Member for Berwick-upon-Tweed (Anne-Marie Treveylan MP) as the COP26 Adaptation and Resilience Champion. In line with the Gender Action Plan agreed at COP25, the UK also recognises that the full, meaningful and equal participation and leadership of women in national and local level climate policy and action is vital for achieving long-term climate goals.

Housing: Carbon Emissions

Lord Foster of Bath: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to Figure 2.3. on page 16 of the Updated energy and emissions projection 2019, published on 30 October, what steps (1) they have taken, and (2) they plan to take, to address any increase in CO2 emissions by the residential sector; whether they have a target for the reduction of emissions of CO2 in that sector; and if so, what that target is.

Lord Callanan: Between 1990 and 2018 UK greenhouse gas emissions have decreased by 43%. Over the same period, emissions from domestic homes have decreased by around 17%, or 18 million tonnes of CO2 equivalent The Government is planning to publish a Heat and Buildings Strategy in the coming months, which will set out the immediate actions we will take for reducing emissions from buildings. These actions include the deployment of energy efficiency measures and low carbon heating as part of an ambitious programme of work required to enable key strategic decisions on how we achieve the mass transition to low-carbon heat and set us on a path towards our net zero targets.

Department of Health and Social Care

Speech and Language Disorders

Baroness Whitaker: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have (1) to mark International Stammering Awareness Day on 22 October, and (2) to develop technology across the NHS which ensures equal access to specialist speech and language therapy for people who stammer.

Lord Bethell: While there were no specific events to mark World Stammering Day on 22 October, we acknowledge the unique role that speech and language therapists play in the identification and assessment of children and adults with fluency disorders which affect their communication, including stammering. Their skills allow the diagnosis of specific fluency disorders, the associated consequences, as well as retained communication abilities.NHS England provides assessment and treatment for children and adults with a stammer. There are different treatments available for stammering, depending on a person’s age and their circumstances. These include direct and indirect therapy, and other treatment options such as psychological therapies and the use of feedback devices which alter the way an individual hears their voice.

Department for Education

Apprentices: Standards

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with independent apprenticeship providersaboutimproving the quality of apprenticeship training.

Baroness Berridge: We have made apprenticeships longer and better, with more off-the-job training and proper assessment at the end. All new learners starting an apprenticeship from 1 August 2020 must now start on a high-quality, employer-designed standard. Each apprentice will undertake rigorous and independent end-point assessment to ensure they can perform in the occupation they have been trained in and can demonstrate the duties, and requirements set out in the occupational standard.We continue to work closely with providers, employers, and sector bodies to improve the quality of apprenticeship training. Ofsted inspections and visits give providers public judgements about the quality of their teaching and learning. The Education and Skills Funding Agency (ESFA) is in contact with independent training providers as part of its normal contract management process, which includes discussing the quality of providers’ training (apprenticeships and other provision) and, where necessary, taking action where risks to quality are identified.ESFA officials also have regular contact with senior figures in the Association of Employment and Learning Providers (AELP) to discuss emerging priorities around high-quality training, and test future policy ideas with some of their members to shape the impact and benefits of new initiatives before they are launched.We will continue to work with employers, training providers, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education and its Quality Alliance of key stakeholders, including AELP, to help boost apprenticeship quality and make sure more people get the skills they need to get ahead.

Further Education

Lord Baker of Dorking: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many 18to 24 year olds started a course at (1) Level 4 and (2) Level 5, qualification level in each year from 2010 until 2019.

Baroness Berridge: Research published by both the department and Gatsby Foundation provides a full mapping of level 4 and 5 technical education. This research is available at: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/913988/L4-5_market_study.pdf and http://www.gatsby.org.uk/uploads/education/reports/pdf/mapping-the-higher-technical-landscape-final-version.pdf respectively. The latter showed that in the 2015/16 academic year, approximately 87,000 learners aged 24 or under were studying at level 4 or 5 in England. The department collects and publishes data separately on regulated further and higher education, which includes learning at level 4 and 5. The department is investigating whether these data collections could be combined to produce a more comprehensive data series for learners starting level 4 and 5 qualifications.Further education and apprenticeships data are published by the department, available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/further-education-and-skills-statistical-first-release-sfr. Statistics on students at higher education providers by specific qualification aim are published by the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA). Latest figures refer to the 2014/15 to 2018/19 academic years and are available here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/news/16-01-2020/sb255-higher-education-student-statistics. Statistics for earlier years are available here: https://www.hesa.ac.uk/data-and-analysis/statistical-first-releases?date_filter%5Bvalue%5D%5Byear%5D=&topic%5B%5D=4.

Remote Education: Coronavirus

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact on the mental health of pupils of their update to the guidance on remote education expectations advising that teachers should check in on self-isolating pupils on a weekly, rather than a daily, basis.

Baroness Berridge: The government has reviewed remote education guidance and published updated expectations to provide further clarity for schools, colleges, parents and pupils.Where a class, group or a small number of pupils need to self-isolate, or local restrictions require pupils to remain at home, we expect schools to have the capacity to offer immediate remote education.Primary schools are expected to provide a minimum of three hours a day of remote education on average across the school cohort, with secondary schools expected to provide at least four hours worth per day for pupils. The number of hours set has been carefully considered and was informed by the department’s work with schools.Schools will be expected to check and provide feedback on pupils’ work at least weekly. Schools will also be expected to have systems for checking, at least weekly, whether pupils are engaging with their work, and inform parents immediately where engagement is a concern.In the spring term, the department will also ask schools to set out details of their remote provision on their websites, so that parents can better understand their school’s remote education offer.

STEM Subjects: Teachers

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that secondary school teacher recruitment meets targets in all STEM subjects.

Baroness Berridge: It is a top priority of the government to ensure we continue to attract, retain, and develop high quality teachers to inspire the next generation. The department is making progress in delivering the Teacher Recruitment and Retention Strategy, which we published in January 2019:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/786856/DFE_Teacher_Retention_Strategy_Report.pdf. This includes commitments to reduce teacher workload, improve continuing professional development, and offer greater opportunities for flexible working. Recruitment to science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects remains challenging. Despite this challenge, 7,066 trainees were recruited to teacher training this academic year (2020/21) in a STEM subject, compared to 5,865 last year (2019/20), which is an increase of 1,201. We know there is further to go to ensure teaching continues to be an attractive proposition. The department recognises that graduates in STEM subjects often attract the highest salaries outside teaching, which is why we are offering £24,000 tax-free bursaries for trainee teachers in chemistry, computing, mathematics, and physics. We are also offering prestigious scholarship schemes in partnership with professional bodies for chemistry, computing, mathematics, and physics, where trainee teachers receive £26,000 tax-free and a package of tailored support provided by the professional body. We are also piloting several retention payment schemes for STEM teachers, including Early-Career Payments, Teachers’ Student Loan Reimbursement and the Mathematics and Physics Teacher Retention Payments Pilot. We are conducting full evaluations to assess the impact of each of these pilots, and we will consider our future retention offer in light of the evaluation findings.

Disinformation: Curriculum

Lord Mendelsohn: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to incorporate content into the national curriculum to support educators to counter conspiracy theories.

Baroness Berridge: In June 2019, we published guidance on teaching online safety in schools, which can be accessed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/teaching-online-safety-in-schools.This non-statutory guidance outlines how schools can ensure their pupils understand how to stay safe and behave online as part of existing curriculum requirements. It complements existing and forthcoming subjects, including Relationships Education, Relationships and Sex Education, Health Education, Citizenship, and Computing.There are many aspects of the curriculum that can help young people develop the knowledge and digital skills they need to recognise misinformation, disinformation, and conspiracy theories. For example, citizenship teaches about critical media literacy in relation to the proper functioning of a democracy. Pupils learn about distinguishing fact from opinion, as well as exploring freedom of speech and the role and responsibility of the media in informing and shaping public opinion. History teaches pupils to understand how different types of historical sources are used to make historical claims, and discern how and why contrasting arguments and interpretations of the past have been constructed. The computing curriculum, introduced in 2014, is providing children and teachers with the fundamental knowledge to make well-informed decisions on e-safety, from Key Stages 1 to 4. There is progression in the content, to reflect the different and escalating online risks that young people face.Additionally, 'Education for a connected world', developed by the UK Council for Internet Safety Education group, provides schools support to develop a rich, effective and developmental curriculum, which will support young people to be safe, healthy and thrive online. It includes a section on the importance of children knowing how to identify and distinguish between fake news, disinformation, and misinformation.

Education: British National (Overseas)

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to facilitate access to education for the children of people entering the UK under the Hong Kong British National (Overseas) visa scheme; what assessment they have made of (1) the scale of demand for school places for these children, and (2) where such demand will arise; and what discussions they have had with (a) Local Education Authorities, and (b) Regional Schools Commissioners, about ensuring that plans are in place to meet this demand.

Baroness Berridge: The government’s estimate of the number of British National (Overseas) citizens that may migrate to the UK was set out in an Impact Assessment published on 22 October, available here: https://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2020/1147/impacts/2020/70. The dependants of British National (Overseas) citizens from Hong Kong choosing to settle in the UK have a right to attend school in the UK. Local authorities hold the statutory duty to provide sufficient school places.  The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government have written to all local authorities in England to update them on the new immigration route for BN(O) citizens and will be communicating further with those areas which may see higher numbers arriving to support their planning.   The department is fully involved in planning and communications with local authorities, including Regional Schools Commissioners. We are using data from the 2020 Spring School Census and the 2011 National Census to inform planning and are working with Home Office to monitor BN(O) and BN(O) dependant arrivals.

Personal, Social, Health and Economic Education

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of whether allguidance provided by the PHSE Association to schools, including the resources produced by other organisations recommended in that guidance, is in line with (1) the law, and (2) the current advice issued by the Department for Education.

Baroness Berridge: The department does not comment on resources from subject associations or other providers. The statutory Relationships, Sex and Health Education (RSHE) guidance sets out clear advice on choosing resources: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/relationships-education-relationships-and-sex-education-rse-and-health-education. Schools should assess each resource they intend to use, to ensure that it is appropriate for the age and maturity of pupils, and sensitive to their needs. The RSHE guidance and training resources have been designed to equip all schools to provide comprehensive teaching in these areas in an age-appropriate way. The guidance and materials should give schools the confidence to construct a curriculum that meets the needs of their pupils and reflects a diversity of views and backgrounds, whilst fostering all pupils’ respect for others, understanding of healthy relationships, and ability to look after their own wellbeing. The department expects schools to consult with parents and to make reasonable decisions about the content of their curriculum.

Further Education: Finance

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the financial sustainability of the further education and skills sector.

Baroness Berridge: A recent National Audit Office report on the financial sustainability of colleges in England found that 65% of colleges had good or better financial health in academic year 2018/19, up from 61% in academic year 2013/14. Early analysis by the department suggests our programme of Area Reviews helped bring this improvement about. Over the same period, quality remained high, with 82% of further education (FE) Colleges rated good or better by Ofsted in both 2019 and 2014. The 2020 Spending Review provided £291 million in financial year 2021/22 to ensure that core FE funding for 16 to 19-year-olds is maintained in real terms per learner. This is in addition to the £400 million that the government provided from September this year, the biggest injection of new money into 16 to 19 education in a single year since 2010. We continue to monitor the financial health of the FE sector. Financial forecasts for the current year were submitted by colleges in July, and updated cashflow projections were provided in November. We are receiving further submissions throughout the 2020/21 academic year. Any colleges facing issues with financial sustainability due to the impact of the COVID-19 outbreak can access relevant support.

Music: Education

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of report by the Incorporated Society of Musicians The heart of the school is missing,published on 6 December; and what plans they have to increase music provision in (1) primary, and (2) secondary, schools.

Baroness Berridge: Music and the arts are vital parts of children and young people’s education, and the Department remains committed to making sure all children have access to a high-quality music education. The Department has invested nearly £500 million of central programme funding between 2016 and 2020 on a diverse portfolio of music and arts education programmes.In January, the Department announced a further £80 million investment in Music Education Hubs for financial year 2020-21 to ensure all children, whatever their background, have access to a high-quality music education.The guidance for school opening is clear that all schools are expected to teach an ambitious and broad curriculum in all subjects, including music. The guidance also includes detailed advice on how to teach music safely given the additional risk of infection, including when singing and playing wind or brass instruments.The Department notes that the survey underpinning the report was conducted in the first four weeks of the autumn term, during an unprecedented time for schools as they opened fully to all pupils. During this period, schools will have been busy implementing a wide range of measures, such as the extra measures to teach music safely.Through close partnership working between the Department and Arts Council England, there are strong indications that more schools have been engaging with Music Education Hubs over the course of this term and are teaching music as part of their curriculum.

Secondary Education: Class Sizes

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to introduce (1) minimum, and (2) average, class size targets for post-16 education providers.

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to create a single post-16 education commissioning and regulatory process.

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to invest in post-16 education hubs for (1) specialist, and (2) minority, provision.

Baroness Berridge: We welcome the Association of College’s recent report on post-16 provision, 'The impact of competition in post-16 education & training', and note the proposals for longer-term reform to the sector, including class size targets, a single commissioning and regulatory process, and education hubs.We will set out our future plans for post-16 education providers in the soon to be published Further Education White Paper.In developing our proposals for the White Paper, we have engaged extensively with the Association and other representative bodies and look forward to continuing to do so over the coming months. In the meantime, we are most grateful for the work they have done, and we share their commitment to reform to improve post-16 education.

Immigration: Finance

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government when the review on how immigration (1) status, and (2) restrictions, in particular no recourse to public funds, interact with free school meals and other educational entitlements will be (a) completed, and (b) published.

Baroness Berridge: We are working with departments across government to evaluate access to free school meals for families with no recourse to public funds. In the meantime, the extension of eligibility will continue with the current income threshold until a decision on long-term eligibility is made.Once the review is complete, we will update our guidance accordingly. Our current guidance regarding the extension can be viewed here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-free-school-meals-guidance/guidance-for-the-temporary-extension-of-free-school-meals-eligibility-to-nrpf-groups.

Hospitality Industry: Qualifications

Lord Taylor of Warwick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to include hospitality on the level 3 Lifetime Skills Guarantee qualification list.

Baroness Berridge: The new Level 3 adult offer forms part of the Lifetime Skills Guarantee, which also includes Skills Bootcamps, implementing the Lifelong Loan Entitlement and wider work around improving quality and access to apprenticeships.The sector subject areas included in the Level 3 adult offer reflect those that align most strongly with strategic skills priorities, meet the labour market needs, and offer the strongest wage outcomes at Level 3. While the course list does not feature any sector-specific hospitality qualifications, it includes a range of qualifications that are valuable across the economy in most sectors, including digital, business management, accounting, and finance.We have engaged with employers, education providers, industry bodies, Mayoral Combined Authorities and the Greater London Authority to ensure that we are delivering the skills that will best support the economy across the nation and help adults to advance their careers in the current labour market.We will keep the list of qualifications and the Sector Subject Areas in scope under review to ensure they adapt to the changing needs of the economy, ensuring we deliver an effective offer for adults and employers.Qualifications not included in this offer will still be eligible for Advanced Learner Loans, which support many thousands of adults a year to access high-quality provision.The Plan for Jobs, announced by my right hon. Friend, the Chancellor of the Exchequer in July, also introduces a package of measures to support jobs across the country, give businesses more confidence to retrain and hire, and provide people with the skills and tools they need to get better jobs.The government plans to consult on the National Skills Fund in spring 2021 to ensure that we develop a fund that helps adults learn valuable skills and prepares them for the economy of the future.

Music: Education

Lord Judd: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of thereport by the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Music Education, the Incorporated Society of Musicians and the University of SussexMusic Education: State of the Nation, published in January 2019; and what steps they have taken to improve music education in schools.

Baroness Berridge: The government agrees with the report’s stated ambition that all pupils should receive a high-quality music education.That is why music remains compulsory in the National Curriculum from ages 5 to 14. Music is also stated as one of the subjects that schools should continue to teach as part of a broad and ambitious curriculum in the guidance on the full opening of schools earlier this autumn. The guidance is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/guidance-for-full-opening-schools.To support teachers in providing high-quality lessons, the department has worked with an expert panel to develop a non-statutory model music curriculum for Key Stages 1 to 3. This expands on the National Curriculum programme of study and acts as a benchmark for all schools. The model music curriculum will be published shortly.The department has also invested nearly £500 million of central programme funding between 2016 and 2020 on a diverse portfolio of music and arts education programmes. This includes £300 million for Music Education Hubs that provide specialist music education services to around 90% of state-funded schools. It also includes almost £120 million for the Music and Dance Scheme, which currently supports over 2,300 exceptionally talented children and young people to attend specialist music and dance schools and training centres each year. More information about this is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/multi-million-pound-culture-boost-for-children-in-schools.In January 2020, the department announced a further £80 million investment in Music Education Hubs for the 2021-22 financial year to ensure that all children, whatever their background, have access to a high-quality music education.The government remains committed to continued support for music education, and following the one-year Spending Review settlement, our partner organisations will be updated soon on funding for the 2021-22 financial year.

Mental Health: Education

Baroness Lister of Burtersett: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of mindfulness teaching in (1) schools, (2) colleges, and (3) universities.

Baroness Berridge: The Department for Education remains committed to long term improvements to support children and young people’s mental health, set out in the government’s response to its Green Paper and NHS Long Term Plan. This includes the roll-out of mental health support teams and the provision of training for Senior Leads for Mental Health in schools and colleges.As part of this, we are producing evidence about what works to support mental health and wellbeing in schools, so that they can make evidence-based decisions about how to best support their pupils’ mental health and wellbeing. The department is funding a large-scale programme of randomised control trials of mental health interventions in schools. The aim of this programme is to provide robust evidence on what works to support children and young people’s mental health and wellbeing and whether programmes can be delivered effectively in a school setting.The programme is testing the effectiveness of 5 different approaches to supporting pupil mental health and wellbeing in primary and secondary schools across England. It includes a programme of brief mindfulness-based exercises to be run by teachers in the classroom, which provides teachers with a short training session and materials to run brief mindfulness-based exercises with their classes.The government has not made an assessment of the effectiveness of mindfulness in colleges and universities. It is for higher education providers as autonomous bodies to identify and address the needs of their student body and decide what mental health and wellbeing support to put in place.

Music: Education

Lord Jones of Cheltenham: To ask Her Majesty's Government what is their timetable for the introduction of a new national plan for music education.

Baroness Berridge: To gather views on how the National Plan for Music Education could be refreshed and strengthened, the Department launched a Call for Evidence on 9 February 2020, which then closed on 13 March 2020.Due to the COVID-19 outbreak, analysis of the Call for Evidence and the refresh of the National Plan is currently on hold. The results of the Call for Evidence, the department’s response to it, and the refreshed Plan will be published in due course.

Children: Internet

Lord Rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of (1) the total number, and (2) the percentage of schoolchildren in (a) England and (b) Leeds who are currently without home internet access.

Lord Rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of (1) the total number, and (2) the percentage, of schoolchildren in (a) England, and (b) Leeds, currently without access to a laptop at home.

Lord Rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many laptops they committed to provide toschools in (1) England, and (2) Leeds, during the COVID-19 pandemic; and how manyhave been delivered.

Lord Rogan: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking (1) to procure, and (2) to deliver, (a) laptops, and (b) home internet access, to disadvantaged students in Leeds during theCOVID-19 pandemic.

Baroness Berridge: The department has provided laptops, tablets and connectivity support to schools and social care services during the COVID-19 outbreak to enable them to support disadvantaged and vulnerable children. Over the summer, over 220,000 laptops and tablets were provided to allow schools and social care services to support disadvantaged pupils in year 10, children with a social worker, and care leavers. This term, the department has bolstered this support by providing laptops and tablets to schools where face to face education has been disrupted in order to enable them to support pupils in years 3 to 11. We will have made over 500,000 devices available by the end of the year and invested nearly £200 million to support remote education. The devices and connectivity support are provided to local authorities, trusts and schools. They are best placed to know which pupils need access and are responsible for onward distribution. The department publishes delivery data periodically. We therefore have two snapshots, summer term as of 27 August and current term as of 23 October. As of 27 August 2020, 3,016 laptops and tablets had been delivered to Leeds Council and schools. Delivery data reflecting support provided over the summer is published here:https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/912888/Devices_and_4G_wireless_routers_progress_data_as_of_27_August_2020.pdf.Given that devices for non-maintained schools were provided to academy trusts, and that these can span multiple local authorities, we cannot provide a precise figure for the number of devices received by schools in Leeds during summer term. Information on the laptops and tablets provided this term to schools, local authorities and academy trusts as of 23 October 2020 is published below. We have delivered 105,508 nationally: https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/929064/Ad-hoc_stats_note_shipped_data_231020_FINAL.pdfWe will be publishing further delivery data after the end of term. For deliveries during both the summer and autumn term, the department has allocated a number of laptops and tablets to each school. This term, schools are invited to order from this allocation when face to face education is disrupted. To arrive at this allocation of devices, the department used data on the number of pupils eligible for free school meals in each school. The department expects that pupils’ device needs will be met to some extent by existing school laptops and tablets that the school already owns. To identify the number of children who require support to access the internet, the department used data on pupils eligible for free school meals in each school, taking into consideration estimations by Ofcom and reflecting that some pupils would already have access to a private internet connection. Schools, local authorities and academy trusts can request additional devices if their allocation from the department does not meet their needs. These requests can be submitted to covid.technology@education.gov.uk.

Treasury

German Property Group: Insolvency

Lord Morrow: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have received about allegations of fraud connected to the Dolphin Trust; what steps they plan to take to safeguard UK investors' investments in the Trust; and whether the Trust is operating in the UK.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government are aware of the allegations of fraud made against the German Property Group (GPG), formerly known as the Dolphin Trust. The Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) are working closely with financial advisers who have advised customers to make these investments and operators of Self Invested Personal Pensions (SIPPs) whose customers currently hold investments with GPG. The FCA have published a joint statement with the Financial Services Compensation Scheme and the Financial Ombudsman Service. The statement sets out what UK consumers should do if they invested in GPG via an FCA authorised firm, either a financial adviser firm or a SIPP operator, and they believe they were mis-sold. It can be accessed on the FCA’s website. Companies under the German Property Group are incorporated in Germany and have never been authorised by the FCA. However, consumers should be assured that the FCA are working closely with all relevant external stakeholders on this matter and will share any further updates as and when they are able to.

Public Sector: Redundancy Pay

Baroness Eaton: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether the Restriction of Public Sector Exit Payments Regulations 2020 require the amount of employer’s national insurance contributions in relation to an exit payment to be included when calculating the value of an individual’s total exit payment.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: For the purpose of the Restriction of Public Sector Exit Payment Regulations, employer’s national insurance contributions in relation to an exit payment should not be included when calculating the value of an individual’s total exit payment.

Coronavirus: Disease Control

Lord Greaves: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting government policies on (1) incomes, (2) unemployment levels, (3) furlough levels, (4) benefit payments, (5) the number of companies ceasing to trade, and (6) regional levels of GDP,in each region of England including London.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: We recognise the challenges that COVID-19 is having on all groups in society, including the most vulnerable. That is why the government announced an unprecedented package of support – including boosts to Universal Credit, the Coronavirus Job Retention Scheme (CJRS), and the Self-Employment Income Support Scheme – helping to protect incomes, jobs, and support those most at need. HMT distributional analysis as of the end of May 2020 showed that these interventions, along with the existing tax and welfare system, helped reduce income losses faced by working households by up to two-thirds, with the poorest working households protected the most (as a proportion of income). On the level of unemployment, the unemployment rate in the three months to October rose 0.7ppts on the quarter and 1.2ppts on the year to 4.9%. The unemployment level rose by 241,000 on the quarter and rose by 411,000 on the year, to 1.7 million. The single-month unemployment rate for October rose by 0.3ppt on September to 5.2%. The unemployment level rose by 114,000 on the month and 582,000 on the year to 1.8 million. Regarding those furloughed under the CJRS, this scheme was designed and created to respond to the crisis. As of 13 December 2020, the CJRS has helped 1.2 million employers across the UK furlough 9.9 million jobs, protecting people’s livelihoods. £46.4 billion has been paid out in grants. On benefit payments, the pandemic has seen a substantial increase in Universal Credit claims – as of August, 4.6 million households were in receipt of Universal Credit, compared to 2.6 million in February. The Office for Budget Responsibility’s November 2020 Economic and Fiscal Outlook fully assessed the impact of Covid-19 and associated government policy measures of welfare spending, and found that the government is spending an additional £7.4 billion on its overall package of increased welfare support. On the number of companies ceasing to trade, insolvency case registrations remain above 2019 levels. For the year to date, registrations in 2020 remain low, at around 73% of 2019 levels. Finally, on the impact on regional GDP, in November 2020, the Office for National Statistics published experimental measures of quarterly regional GDP for the first quarter of 2020 for Wales and the English regions. They show a reduction in GDP in all regions compared to the last quarter of 2019. These statistics are still in development and should be interpreted with caution. The latest official regional GDP statistics relate to 2018 and were published in December 2019.

HSBC

Lord Truscott: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the independence of HSBC Bank from the undue influence of foreign governments.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The government monitors the operation and functioning of the financial sector and its participants on an ongoing basis, and does so across a wide range of matters. However, we do not comment on issues relating to individual private companies.

Cars: Loans

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the report by the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) Our work on motor finance—final findings, published on 1 March 2019, and the decision by the FCA announced on 28 July to ban discretionary commission models of car finance, what assessment they have made of whether personal contract purchase finance has been mis-sold; andwhat plans they have to introduce a compensation scheme for any consumers affected.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: This question has been passed on to the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA). The FCA will reply directly to the Lord Bishop by letter. A copy of the letter will be placed in the Library of the House.

Non-domestic Rates: Coronavirus

Baroness Kennedy of Cradley: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many retail businesses that have traded throughout the COVID-19 pandemic have offered to repay any business rates relief they have received.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: Several businesses have publicly announced their intention to return their business rates relief or otherwise entered discussions with the Government on this issue. The Government has been clear throughout the pandemic that businesses should use support appropriately, and it welcomes any decision to repay support where it is no longer needed. Any funds returned will support the continuing efforts to protect people’s jobs and incomes.

Credit Unions: Coronavirus

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic onthe credit union sector in the UK.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government recognises the vital role of credit unions in the financial wellbeing of their communities, providing an ethical home for their members’ savings, and affordable loans to those who may otherwise have to resort to high-cost lenders. In April 2020, the Economic Secretary wrote to credit union trade bodies to thank frontline staff for their efforts to continue to provide essential services to their members. HM Treasury officials have regularly engaged with the Financial Conduct Authority and Prudential Regulation Authority to understand the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The Economic Secretary has also engaged with representatives from the credit union sector through the Consumer Finance Forum and Financial Inclusion Policy Forum, which are bringing financial services and consumer group representatives together to discuss how to best support people through this period. Fair4All Finance, the independent body set up by Government to distribute dormant assets funding to support financial inclusion, has set up a £5 million resilience fund to support credit unions and community development finance institutions in England during the COVID-19 pandemic. On 20 May, the Government announced that additional funding through the dormant assets scheme would be released immediately to Fair4All Finance. This includes an expanded Affordable Credit Scale-up Programme, which aims to improve the access and availability of affordable credit, and which I expect to be of benefit to credit unions.

Bank Services: Coronavirus

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of theCOVID-19pandemic on those who are unbanked.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government is committed to supporting all groups in society, including the most vulnerable, with the challenges caused by Covid-19. The Government has boosted the generosity of the welfare system by £7.4bn in 2020-21 including through a temporary £20 a week increase in Universal Credit (UC) standard allowance and Working Tax Credit basic element, an increase in Local Housing Allowance rates and relaxation of UC minimum income floor for self-employed claimants. The Department for Work and Pensions offers HMG Payment Exception Service that allows customers access to funds via PayPoint outlets, for individuals who cannot access a bank account.However, the Government recognises the importance of having a bank account, as it provides a way of receiving income, whether that be salary, pension, benefits or tax credit and opens up opportunities to access other financial products such as savings accounts, credit, insurance and mortgages. Throughout the Covid-19 pandemic, HM Treasury and the financial regulators have worked closely with banks, building societies and credit unions to maintain branch access for essential services, including for the purposes of opening a bank account. The Treasury does not make assessments of the number of people who do not have a bank account. However, in 2017, the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) published the results of the Financial Lives Survey which found that 1.3 million UK adults do not hold an account they can use for day-to-day payments and transactions. The 9 largest personal current account providers in the UK are legally required to offer fee-free basic bank accounts to customers who do not have a bank account in the UK or who are ineligible for a bank’s standard current account. The Treasury publishes data on basic bank accounts annually. The December 2019 publication shows that in total there are nearly 7.5 million basic bank accounts open in the UK. More information can be found here:https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/basic-bank-accounts

Holyhead Port: Large Goods Vehicles

Lord Roberts of Llandudno: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the requirement for trucks from the Republic of Ireland to travel between Holyhead and registration parks in Warrington, following the end of the transition period for the UK's departure from the EU.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: Warrington and Birmingham inland border facilities will provide interim support for Common Transit Convention movements through Holyhead for January 2021 ahead of a long term site being developed. Due to the nature of the road networks these locations are along the route that ‘land bridge’ traffic from Holyhead will be likely to take. In addition, there will be some facilities in Holyhead from January 2021. The small facility at Roadking in Holyhead, which was prepared last year, will remain for drivers seeking to complete their ATA Carnet paperwork. A very limited service will also be provided to start and end transit movements there.

Employees' Contributions: Overseas Residence

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British citizens who are resident overseas paid either (1) Class 2, or (2) Class 3, voluntary National Insurance contributions between 2010 and 2020.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The information requested is not readily available and could only be provided at disproportionate cost. HMRC do not require individuals to declare their citizenship or nationality. Therefore while they are able to identify overseas residents who pay National Insurance contributions, they are unable to determine the proportion of these that are British citizens.

Renewable Energy: VAT

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made, if any, of the impact of (1) removing, and (2) reducing the rate to 0 per cent for, VAT on domestic (a) renewable energy installations, and (b) energy efficiency measures, for 10 years on increasingthe uptake of microgeneration in domestic properties.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The installation of many energy saving materials, including solar panels and micro combined heat and power units, is already subject to the reduced rate of VAT when certain conditions are met.There are no current plans to extend the scope of the relief already in place. However, the Government keeps all taxes under review.

Equitable Life Assurance Society: Compensation

Lord McCrea of Magherafelt and Cookstown: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to make furtherpayments to individualswho lost their savings following the collapse of Equitable Life.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Equitable Life Payment Scheme closed to claims in 2015. There are no plans to reopen the Payment Scheme or review the £1.5 billion funding allocation previously made to it.

Monetary Policy

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Agnew of Oulton on 3 December (HL10488) and the exchange of letters between the Bank of England and HM Treasury on the Asset Purchase Facility on 29 January 2009, whether the Monetary Policy Committee still requires the consent of HM Treasury to engage in quantitative easing through the Asset Purchase Facility.

The Lord Bishop of St Albans: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Agnew of Oulton on 3 December (HL10488) and the exchange of letters between the Bank of England and HM Treasury on the Asset Purchase Facility on 29 January 2009, what assessment they have made of the implications of the confirmation in these letters that the financing of the Asset Purchase Facility by central bank money would require HM Treasury consent for the question of whether it is appropriate for the Government to comment on the effectiveness of quantitative easing; and what assessment they have made of the effects of quantitative easing on the increase in house prices compared to increases in wages.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Bank of England’s Asset Purchase Facility is indemnified by HM Treasury. Due to this indemnity any decision to increase the limit of purchases to be financed through the issuance of central bank reserves requires Chancellor authorisation. However, the judgement of what size and composition of the Asset Purchase Facility is warranted is for the independent Monetary Policy Committee. The separation of fiscal and monetary policy is a key feature of the UK’s economic framework, and the Government does not comment on the conduct and effectiveness of monetary policy.

Money: Coronavirus

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the (1) use, and (2) circulation, of cash in the UK.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Government remains closely engaged with the financial regulators, including through the Treasury-chaired Joint Authorities Cash Strategy Group, to monitor and assess risks around cash relating to COVID-19. It is too early to predict what permanent impacts the COVID-19 pandemic will have on cash usage and payments more broadly. However, it is reasonable to expect that knock on changes in how people purchase goods and services, and social distancing measures, have accelerated the decline in the use of cash, as people have become more comfortable with other forms of transactions and payments, for example contactless card payments. During the COVID-19 pandemic, there has been an increase in the value of notes in circulation; the Bank of England considers this may be because of banknotes being held for contingent purposes. The return of coin to banks by businesses and the public has varied from its usual pattern. As a result there has been a greater demand for new coin from the Mint than forecast prior to the pandemic.

Fraud: Finance

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the (1) scale, and (2) type, of financial scams targeted at people in the UK.

Lord Kennedy of Southwark: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the cost of financial scams to the UK economy.

Lord Agnew of Oulton: The Office for National Statistics publishes estimates on the volume of fraud against adult individuals in England and Wales in the Crime Survey for England and Wales quarterly releases.[1] The ONS estimated that in the year ending June 2020 there were approximately 4.3 m fraud offences against adults in England Wales. The ONS also publishes, as part of its data on crime, the total number of fraud offences that are referred to the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau (NFIB) by industry bodies (UK finance and CIFAS) or recorded by Action Fraud each year. In the year ending June 2020, 733,967 cases were referred to the NFIB or recorded by Action Fraud. The ONS also provide a breakdown of this data by fraud type. For example, there were 415,274 cases of banking and credit industry fraud reported and 14,616 cases of financial investment fraud.[2] The Home Office has estimated that the total cost of fraud to individuals in England and Wales in 2015/2016 was £4.7bn[3]. They also estimated that the economic cost of organised fraud against businesses and the public sector in the UK was £5.9bn.[4] [1] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/bulletins/crimeinenglandandwales/yearendingjune2020[2] https://www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/crimeandjustice/datasets/crimeinenglandandwalesappendixtables[3] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/732110/the-economic-and-social-costs-of-crime-horr99.pdf[4] https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/782656/understanding-organised-crime-mar16-horr103-2nd.pdf

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

China and Tibet: Human Rights

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what stepsthey have taken to ensure that UK businesses undertake supply chain due diligence regarding thereported human rights violations of workers in (1) Xinjiang, and (2) Tibet.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government remains seriously concerned about the gross human rights violations taking place in Xinjiang and Tibet. We continue to urge all UK businesses to conduct appropriate due diligence in their supply chains to satisfy themselves that their activities do not support, or risk being seen to support, any human rights violations or abuses. More broadly, we are funding think-tank research and engaging business and other stakeholders to share information and promote knowledge of China's human rights violations.

Hong Kong: Politics and Government

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they plan to take in response to the disqualification of four pro-independence opposition lawmakers from the legislative council of Hong Kong.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As Minister Adams, the Minister for Asia, said in Parliament on 12 November, the imposition of new rules to disqualify elected legislators in Hong Kong constitutes a clear breach of the legally binding Sino-British Joint Declaration. We have raised our concerns directly with the Beijing authorities, including by summoning the Chinese Ambassador on 13 November.

China: Sanctions

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have toidentify and apply sanctions against any senior officials of the government of China who are found to be responsible for committing human rights violations against (1) Uyghurs, and (2) Hong Kong citizens.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK has taken a leading international role in holding China to account for its gross human rights abuses in Xinjiang and Hong Kong. On 6 October, the UK and 38 other countries joined a statement at the UN Third Committee in New York expressing deep concern at the situation in Xinjiang and Hong Kong, including the mass detention of Uyghurs in political re-education camps. This growing caucus reflects UK diplomatic leadership. The Government's position remains that it is not appropriate to speculate about who may be designated under the Global Human Rights sanctions regime, as to do so could reduce the impact of the designations.

European Convention on Human Rights

Lord Lexden: To ask Her Majesty's Government which countries have yet to ratify Protocol 15amending theConvention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms; and what reasons any such countries have given for the delay.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Of the 47 Member States of the Council of Europe, 46 have signed and ratified Protocol 15 amending the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms. Italy is the only Member State that has signed but not yet ratified the protocol. I understand that the Government of Italy has assured the Council of Europe that the parliamentary procedures required for ratification are currently in progress, and that a date for discussion of Protocol 15 at the plenary of the Senate will be decided in due course.

Hong Kong: Politics and Government

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask Her Majesty's Government what discussions they have had with the governments of (1) China, and (2) Hong Kong, about (1) the detention of Joshua Wong in December 2020, and (2) the treatment of those in Hong Kong who oppose those governments.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: As the Foreign Secretary made clear in his statement of 2 December following the sentencing of Joshua Wong, Agnes Chow and Ivan Lam, prosecution decisions must be fair and impartial, and the rights and freedoms guaranteed to the people of Hong Kong under the Joint Declaration must be upheld.We have raised our concerns about Joshua Wong's and other cases with senior members of the Hong Kong Special Administrative Region Government and the Beijing authorities and will continue to do so. We urge the Hong Kong and Beijing authorities to bring an end to their apparent campaign to stifle legitimate opposition and reconsider their current course.

Palestinians: Detainees

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the report by Defense for Children Palestine Isolated & Alone: Palestinian children held in solitary confinement by Israeli authorities for interrogation, published in December.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are concerned by the findings of the Defense for Children's report entitled, 'Isolated and Alone: Palestinian children held in solitary confinement by Israeli authorities for interrogation'. We remain concerned about the treatment of Palestinian children detained in Israeli prisons. Reports of the heavy use of painful restraints and the high number of Palestinian children who are not informed of their legal rights, in contravention of Israel's own regulations, are particularly concerning, as is the continued transfer of Palestinian child and adult detainees to prisons inside Israel in violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention. We remain committed to working with Israel to secure improvements to the practices surrounding children in detention. Our Embassy in Tel Aviv have a regular dialogue with Israel on this issue. We also fund projects providing legal aid to minors and capacity building to local lawyers. We continue to call on the Israeli authorities to comply with their obligations under international law.

Israel: Armed Forces

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israel about reports that the Israel Defence Force is using explosives to gain entry into Palestinian homes at night.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We have not raised these specific reports with the Israeli authorities. We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation, including the Israeli security forces' rules of engagement. While we recognise Israel's legitimate need to deploy security measures, we encourage them to deploy these in a way which minimises tension and to use appropriate force.

Muhammad Munir Moqbel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of Israelabout reports thatMuhammad Munir Moqbel wasinjuredduring his arrest.

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports of the injuries caused by the use of live ammunition by the Israel Defence Force against Palestinian minors; and whatrepresentations they have made to the government of Israel about such reports.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We repeatedly call on Israel to abide by its obligations under international law and have a regular dialogue with Israel on legal issues relating to the occupation, including the treatment of Palestinian children. We continue to stress the importance of the Israeli security forces providing appropriate protection to the Palestinian civilian population, in particular the need to protect children, and urge restraint in the use of live fire. In instances where there have been accusations of excessive use of force, we have advocated swift, transparent investigations.

Palestinians: Israel

Baroness Tonge: To ask Her Majesty's Government what action they have taken to prevent theconstruction of anyillegal settlement infrastructure by the government of Israel on Palestinian territory.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We consistently call for an immediate end to all actions that undermine the viability of the two-state solution, including settlement expansion within the West Bank. As the UK made clear on 16 October, in a joint statement alongside France, Germany, Italy and Spain, we are deeply concerned by the recent decision taken by the Israeli authorities to advance more than 4,900 settlement building units in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. The Minister for the Middle East also expressed concern about settlement advancement in Givat Hamatos on 18 November and Har Homa on 25 November. We regularly raise settlements with the Government of Israel; UK officials raised settlements with the Israeli Ambassador to the UK on 18 November. The UK's position on settlements is clear. They are illegal under international law, present an obstacle to peace, and threaten the physical viability of a two-state solution. Settlement expansion is also a counterproductive move in light of the positive developments of normalisation agreements reached between Israel, United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Sudan and Morocco.

Embassies: Diplomatic Service

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many British embassies have a consular section; what is the remit of a consular section; andwhether such sections keepa register of British citizens resident in their territorial scope.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is represented by 187 Diplomatic missions with a Consular presence, as well as a network of over 200 Honorary Consuls. We provide help and support 24 hours a day, 365 days of the year, through our network of trained staff. Details of the remit of our consular support are set out in Support for British Nationals Abroad: A Guide (https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/914039/FCO_BritsAbroad_A4web_020920.pdf). We do not require British travellers to register with us when they are overseas.

British Nationals Abroad

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made of the number of British citizens who are resident outside of the UK, broken down by country of residence.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The FCDO does not hold data on the number of British citizens who are resident overseas. This is because there is no requirement for British travellers or residents to register with us when they go overseas.

British Nationals Abroad

Baroness Miller of Chilthorne Domer: To ask Her Majesty's Government what estimate they have made ofthe number of British citizens who are resident overseas.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The FCDO does not hold data on the number of British citizens who are resident overseas. This is because there is no requirement for British travellers or residents to register with us when they go overseas.

Meihong Wang

Lord Hunt of Kings Heath: To ask Her Majesty's Government what representations they have made to the government of China about the reported abduction of Meihong Wang by police in Harbin, Heilongjiang Province on 23 November.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are aware of the reported abduction of Meihong Wang in Harbin, China. We remain deeply concerned about the persecution of Christians, Muslims, Buddhists, Falun Gong practitioners and others on the grounds of their religion or belief in China. The freedom to practise, change or share ones faith or belief without discrimination or violent opposition is a human right that all people should enjoy. We regularly raise our concerns about the human rights situation with the Chinese authorities, and will continue to do so.

Ethiopia: Armed Conflict

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the conflict in the Tigray region, including the impact of that conflict on (1) surrounding regions, and (2) access for humanitarian and human rights organisations to country.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Humanitarian agencies, including the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), have not had access to Tigray, and telephone and internet services there have not been functioning, since 4 November. This means we lack an understanding of both the full humanitarian picture in the region, including the protection context in camps and refugee hosting areas. The UK has been at the forefront, liaising closely with the UN and partners, in calling for immediate, free and unfettered humanitarian access across Tigray, in line with the guiding principles laid down by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). The UK worked with the UN to develop these guidelines and they have been shared with the Government of Ethiopia.We are encouraged that a UN assessment mission was able to access Tigray on 7 December. The mission must be able to work without hindrance and in turn it must facilitate the timely supply of humanitarian support to those who need it including to civilians in contested areas. We will work with the UN to monitor access and humanitarian delivery and the degree to which the UN's guiding principles are adhered to. The UK has, alongside international partners, called on all sides to ensure the protection of civilians and for respect for human rights. We welcome the appeal made by the Ethiopian Commission for Human Rights' for an independent investigation into human rights violations.

Tanzania: Elections

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) the outcome of the general election in Tanzania, and (2) reports that opposition communications were censored during that election using UK companies.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Minister for Africa issued a statement on 1 November setting out our concerns over widespread allegations of interference during the Tanzanian elections on 28 October, and urging a transparent investigation by the electoral authorities. In the run up to elections we were troubled by reports of violence and heavy-handed policing, including the arrest of opposition political leaders. Our High Commissioner raised our concerns with the Tanzanian Foreign Minister on 26 October.We are also concerned about reported restrictions to communications, including the internet and social media. We are aware of a directive issued by the Tanzanian Communications Regulatory Authority requiring the temporary suspension of bulk short messaging and bulk voice calling services. The High Commissioner to Tanzania raised our concerns around increasing restrictions on media freedom with Tanzanian Minister of Foreign Affairs on 22 September. A free media is vital to ensure credible, transparent democratic processes that are key to Tanzania's future stability and prosperity.The UK welcomes recent steps taken towards forming a Government of National Unity on Zanzibar, and encourages all parties to commit to genuine and transparent change.

Ethiopia: Peace Negotiations

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support peace and conciliation in the Tigray region.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Foreign Secretary spoke with Prime Minister Abiy on 10 November, calling for an immediate de-escalation of the conflict and for all parties involved to move swiftly to political dialogue. He reiterated these messages when he met Ethiopian Deputy Prime Minister Demeke on 25 November. The Minister for Africa also stressed these points when he spoke with the Ethiopian Ambassador in London on 18 November, as well as in his tweets of 24 and 19 November. Our Ambassador in Addis continues to engage across the Ethiopian leadership in support of these objectives.The UK is also liaising closely with partners across the region and the wider international community to urge all parties involved to engage in political dialogue and find a political solution. The Foreign Secretary spoke on 16 November with Foreign Minister Pandor of South Africa, communicating our support of President Ramaphosa's efforts towards a political solution. He also discussed approaches with his French and German counterparts in Berlin on 23 November, with President Kenyatta of Kenya on 24 November, and with Prime Minister Hamdok of Sudan on 12 November. The Minister for Africa also reiterated our concerns about the need for an urgent peaceful settlement in Tigray when he spoke with Foreign Minister Kutesa of Uganda on 26 November, and raised the situation in Ethiopia, and the role Ethiopia plays in regional stability, with the Governments of Somalia and Kenya during his visit to those two countries on 9 and 10 December. The Minister for Middle East and North Africa has done similarly with counterparts in the Gulf.

Ethiopia: Overseas Aid

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that the EU is considering withholding aid from the government of Ethiopia until the impact of the conflict in Tigray on human rights in the region can be assessed; how much UK aid was given to Ethiopia (1) last year, and (2) over the past decade; and what plans they have, if any, to use UK funding to the government of Ethiopia as leverage to help end the conflict in Tigray.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK is engaging with partners, including the EU, on the implications of the current situation in Tigray on development and humanitarian assistance, which plays a vital role in supporting the provision of basic services and lifesaving support across the whole country. Ethiopia is the UK's largest bilateral aid programme, reaching millions of poor people while supporting UK interests. In Financial Year 2019/2020 the UK delivered £292 million in bilateral aid, and about £3 billion over the last ten years.We do not provide direct budget support to Ethiopia. Evidence from Ethiopia and other contexts suggests that withholding finance is not an effective lever. Withholding funding for basic services and lifesaving support would harm the most vulnerable poor people. We remain committed to the development of Ethiopia and its people, and a peaceful resolution to the conflict. We continually review our support in light of changing circumstances.

Nagorno Karabakh: Armed Conflict

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made ofreports by Human Rights Watch that Azerbaijani forces have inhumanely treated ethnic Armenian troops captured in the conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK Government welcomes the ceasefire agreement between Armenia and Azerbaijan. We have not made an assessment of the reports by Human Rights Watch. However, the UK Government is aware of reports that both sides may have mistreated civilians and military prisoners of war during the conflict and afterwards. The Minister for the European Neighbourhood has been in regular contact with the Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers since the outbreak of hostilities in September and has urged credible investigation of these reports.

Ethiopia: Eritrea

Lord Alton of Liverpool: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of (1) reports from UN refugee camps in Tigray of the forcible return of Eritrean refugees to Eritrea, and (2) whether any such refugees are at risk of (a) torture, and (b) imprisonment, in Eritrea; whether they have raised this matter with the government of Eritrea; and, if so, what response they have received.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We are extremely concerned that humanitarian agencies, including the United Nations High Commission for Refugees (UNHCR), do not have access to refugee camps in Tigray. UNHCR has, as a result, been unable to corroborate reports of abduction and forced return of Eritrean refugees, meaning our understanding of the humanitarian and protection context in camps and refugee hosting areas is limited. The UK continues to call for immediate, free and unfettered humanitarian access across Tigray in line with the guiding principles laid down by UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), so that UNHCR can uphold its mandate towards refugees. It is the responsibility of the host state to ensure refugees are protected and are not subjected to forcible return.The British Ambassador in Eritrea raised these questions with the Eritrean Foreign Minister on 2 December, who denied that Eritrea is involved militarily in the conflict and categorically denied that Eritrean forces had forcibly returned Eritrean refugees to Eritrea. He also stated that there are no Ethiopian refugees in Eritrea.

Uganda: Elections

Lord Boateng: To ask Her Majesty's Government, further to reports of threats to the safety of opposition candidates in elections in Uganda, what assessment they have made of the prospects for conduct of a free and fair election in that country; and what support they are giving (1) to civil society organisations, and (2) to other organisations, to monitor these elections.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK continues to call on all parties to reject violence in relation to the recent elections, work to de-escalate the situation and to respect the rights of all Ugandans to express their views in a peaceful manner, as the Minister for Africa outlined in his tweet on 20 November. The British High Commissioner in Kampala has raised the importance of free and fair elections and respect for human rights directly with senior Government Ministers and will continue to do so. We are aware of a number of organisations that will be monitoring the upcoming elections in Uganda. As with previous years, staff at the British High Commission are planning to observe the election on the day.

Ministry of Defence

Trident

Lord Hylton: To ask Her Majesty's Government what criteria they use to assess the effectiveness of the UK's nuclear deterrent; and what assessment, if any, they have made of its efficacy in preventing the government ofChina from breaching the terms of Joint Sino-British declaration.

Baroness Goldie: The fact there has been no major conflict between Nuclear Weapons States, and that the United Kingdom has never needed to launch armed nuclear weapons, demonstrates the effectiveness of our nuclear deterrent.The nuclear deterrent exists to deter the most extreme threats to our national security and way of life, which cannot be deterred by other means. It is not intended to deter or respond to all possible threats or situations.For details on the Government's actions in response to the situation in Hong Kong, I refer the noble Lord to the reply given by the Minister of State, Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon, to Lord Alton of Liverpool in response to Question HL10654.HL10654 - Hong Kong; China (docx, 14.7KB)

Russia: NATO

Lord West of Spithead: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the likelihood that tensions between Russia and NATO will lead to military confrontation; what plans they have put in place to deal with such a scenario; and whether such plans include (1) re-establishing military to military dialogue, (2) establishing stabilising measures in contact zones in the (a) High North, (b) Black Sea, and (c) Baltic Sea, regions, and (3) codifying confidence-building measures in border areas.

Baroness Goldie: The UK is committed to holding Russia to account for its aggression and destabilising behaviour, collectively with our Allies and partners. We can only have a different relationship with Russia if it changes its behaviour in line with the rules based international system.The UK and NATO continuously track and assess hostile state activity. NATO has a range of crisis management mechanisms and contingency plans in the event of military confrontation with Russia. These are supported by the UK as a core member of the Alliance. For the purposes of transparency and in order to reduce the risk of miscalculation, the UK engages Russia through diplomatic and military channels, and supports conflict resolution and confidence-building measures through the OSCE. NATO also has channels in place, both military and civilian, for the purposes of risk reduction.UK and NATO military activity in the High North, Baltic, and Black Sea regions is conducted in a safe and professional manner in accordance with international law and United Nation Convention on the Laws of the Sea (UNCLOS). A bilateral Incidents at Sea Treaty promotes practical mechanisms to reduce risk during interactions between UK and Russian units.

Syria: Military Intervention

Baroness Cox: To ask Her Majesty's Government how many members of the British Armed Forces were in Syria on the latest date for which figures are available; and what is the mission of such deployment.

Baroness Goldie: UK Armed Forces continue to play a leading role in the Global Coalition to defeat Daesh. The UK has around 1100 military personnel committed to counter-Daesh operations across the Middle East.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Biodiversity: Conferences

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role farmers can play in improving biodiversity in their preparations for participation in theConference on the Convention on Biodiversity in 2021.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Farmers have a crucial role to play in implementing the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity at home. This role was evident from the evaluation of Biodiversity 2020, the Government’s previous strategy for implementing the Convention commitments in England. This report, published in 2019, found strong partnerships that included farmers and landowners had supported progress in driving forward our biodiversity goals on land, by managing habitat condition, extent and connectivity. Agri-environment schemes were considered in the report to be the main mechanisms by which biodiversity improvements have been delivered. It highlighted how farmers and landowners, through agri-environment options and partnership working with Government and the conservation community, had supported the recovery of declining species, including cirl bunting and turtle dove. Domestic biodiversity and land management policy is devolved in the UK. We are developing a new strategy for nature to replace Biodiversity 2020 in England. We expect the new strategy will continue to stress the importance of farmers, farming and wider land management as we take forward our plans under a new post-2020 global biodiversity framework under the Convention on Biodiversity, as well as those set out under our 25 Year Environment Plan. Our new Environmental Land Management Scheme will be a powerful tool for delivering the goals of our 25 Year Environment Plan, including for biodiversity, on farmed land in England. Environmental Land Management will also play a role in supporting the “30by30” target, to protect 30% of England’s land for biodiversity by 2030, through habitat creation and restoration, or securing long-term management and protection for wildlife-rich habitats. The 15th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity will be held in Kunming, China in 2021. The make-up of the UK delegation will be confirmed closer to the time and will be dependent on the conference agenda.

Biodiversity: Conferences

Baroness McIntosh of Pickering: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether they plan to include farming representatives in the UK delegation to the Conference on the Convention on Biodiversity in 2021.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Farmers have a crucial role to play in implementing the goals of the Convention on Biological Diversity at home. This role was evident from the evaluation of Biodiversity 2020, the Government’s previous strategy for implementing the Convention commitments in England. This report, published in 2019, found strong partnerships that included farmers and landowners had supported progress in driving forward our biodiversity goals on land, by managing habitat condition, extent and connectivity. Agri-environment schemes were considered in the report to be the main mechanisms by which biodiversity improvements have been delivered. It highlighted how farmers and landowners, through agri-environment options and partnership working with Government and the conservation community, had supported the recovery of declining species, including cirl bunting and turtle dove. Domestic biodiversity and land management policy is devolved in the UK. We are developing a new strategy for nature to replace Biodiversity 2020 in England. We expect the new strategy will continue to stress the importance of farmers, farming and wider land management as we take forward our plans under a new post-2020 global biodiversity framework under the Convention on Biodiversity, as well as those set out under our 25 Year Environment Plan. Our new Environmental Land Management Scheme will be a powerful tool for delivering the goals of our 25 Year Environment Plan, including for biodiversity, on farmed land in England. Environmental Land Management will also play a role in supporting the “30by30” target, to protect 30% of England’s land for biodiversity by 2030, through habitat creation and restoration, or securing long-term management and protection for wildlife-rich habitats. The 15th Conference of the Parties of the Convention on Biological Diversity will be held in Kunming, China in 2021. The make-up of the UK delegation will be confirmed closer to the time and will be dependent on the conference agenda.

Water Supply: Competition

Baroness Harris of Richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans Ofwat has to review its market codes to encourage more companies to switch retailers in the coming year.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Since the business retail market opened in 2017, customer awareness and engagement has increased. In 2019/20, 58% of business customers (and 96% of large business customers) were aware that they can choose their retailer, up from 53% in 2018/19 and 48% in 2017/18. The annual rate of switching and/or re-negotiating remains at around 4%. Market Codes help to govern and underpin the business retail market. However, it is the responsibility of retailers to promote their services to encourage switching.Ofwat’s role is to promote competition through a well-functioning market to further the interests of customers. Since market opening, Ofwat has published annual reports on the business retail market, with a focus on benefits delivered to customers. In August 2020, Ofwat also published its ‘review of incumbent company support for effective markets’, which made clear that a number of market frictions continue to impede the development of effective competition and better customer outcomes and challenged industry to address these as a matter of urgency. Ofwat recognises that industry efforts to improve market functioning have accelerated, aided by collaborative leadership from the market operator (MOSL), but also highlights that resolution of market frictions continues to require urgent attention from all trading parties to build on improvements seen to date.

Water Supply: Conservation

Baroness Harris of Richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government whetherOfwat has calculated the levels of water efficiency savingsthat were made in the non-household water retail marketplace in (1) 2018, and (2) 2019.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Ofwat makes an annual Request for Information to retailers, concerning their activities in the business retail market. This includes a request for information and data concerning water efficiency and the extent to which business customers have saved water as a result of water efficiency measures. Business customers who have elected to become ‘Self-suppliers’ – generally large consumers of water - reported significant water efficiency savings in 2019. Eight self-suppliers, for example, reported saving around 567Ml in 2019 - approximately 5% of their 2019 consumption.

Water Supply: Competition

Baroness Harris of Richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Ofwat has fulfilled its role as regulator in promoting the entry of new entrant water retailers into the Non-Household Water Retail market.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: Ofwat’s role is to promote competition through a well-functioning market where that will further the interests of customers. In furthering this role, since the market has opened the regulator has explored barriers to market entry, for example, credit security arrangements for smaller new entrants. Where appropriate, Ofwat has supported (and on occasions sponsored) market code amendments aimed at promoting new entrants to the market. Over the past three years, we have seen greater choice for business customers with around twenty retailers operating in England. In addition, a number of larger customers have become licensed to operate as self-suppliers. The self-supply model enables customers to have greater control over their data, and has delivered price and water efficiency savings. In 2019/20, an additional three self-supply licences were granted bringing the total to 12 as at end March 2020.

Ofwat: Standards

Baroness Harris of Richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether Ofwat has met its statutory requirements set out under the resilience clauses in the Water Act 2014.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: The Water Act 2014 placed a new duty on Ofwat to further the resilience objective, which is to secure the long-term resilience of water supply and sewerage systems. It is for Ofwat, as the independent economic regulator, to consider how best to deliver its statutory duties when carrying out all relevant regulatory functions. Ofwat has set out how it has met the resilience duty in its response to the UK Government’s Strategic Policy Statement at the Price Review Final Determination 2019. The document is available online: www.ofwat.gov.uk/publication/uk-government-priorities-and-our-2019-price-review-final-determinations.

Water Supply: Conservation

Baroness Harris of Richmond: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps Ofwat has taken to promote water efficiency in the non-household water retail marketplace.

Lord Goldsmith of Richmond Park: In March 2020, Ofwat and the Environment Agency (EA) wrote an open letter to water retailers and wholesalers requesting that they work together to develop an action plan to help deliver greater water efficiency in the non-household sector. Ofwat and the EA have proactively engaged with industry to develop the action plan, which is due to be signed off shortly. The action plan aims to: Provide greater clarity on expectations and ambition for business water efficiency;Improve understanding of how business water is being used, where and how much;Improve collaboration in water resource planning and in identifying and progressing options to meet future business and societal water needs;Identify and address barriers to the delivery of business water efficiency; andDeliver insights into business customer motivations to save water using them to inform water saving campaigns and initiatives.

Department for International Trade

Digital Technology: Africa

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to consult with trade partners in Africa when developing theirposition on digital trade at theWorld Trade Organisation.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: The UK supports inclusive multilateral trade that enables developing countries, including those in Africa, to engage at the World Trade Organisation (WTO). For example, the UK-funded Trade and Investment Advocacy Fund (TAF2+) provided advice to the African, Caribbean and Pacific and Least Developed Country groups, enabling their effective engagement with discussions on digital trade. The programme launched national-level studies in Senegal and Mauritius, helping them develop positions relevant to the WTO E-commerce negotiations. The UK also co-sponsored a WTO Council for Trade in Services communication, calling on members to share information on activities undertaken to address the digital divide.

Africa: Foreign Relations

Lord Chidgey: To ask Her Majesty's Government what plans they have to extend “everything but arms” access(1) to Ghana, (2) to Cameroon, and (3) to other non-least developed countries in Africa, where regional integration is otherwise threatened.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: At the end of the Transition Period, the United Kingdom will create its Generalised Scheme of Preferences (GSP), which will replicate the three levels of market access provided by the EU’s Scheme. This is the most appropriate way to ensure continuity of trade for the existing 70 countries trading under the EU GSP.We continue to engage with Ghana and Cameroon; they have each been offered a deal that provides the same trading arrangements as they have today.

Overseas Trade: Africa

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government what progress they have made since the UK–Africa Investment Summit in January in relation to their (1) trade policy for, (2) investment in, (3) exports to, (4) trade, but not export, finance with, and (5) trade agreements with, countries in Africa; and how UK trade objectivessupport the objectives of the Africa Continental Free Trade Agreement.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: At the United Kingdom-Africa Investment Summit we committed to be Africa’s trade and investment partner of choice. Nearly one year on, and despite the challenging backdrop of the coronavirus pandemic, we have sustained this effort. All the deals and investor commitments made around the event have progressed, with further investments added since. The Department for International Trade (DIT) has directly supported exports to Africa returning over £1bn to the UK economy already this year, and we have now signed 7 trade agreements covering 14 African nations total trade (exports and imports) in goods and services, worth £20.4bn in 2019. Total trade between the United Kingdom and these 14 African nations has grown by 21% since 2009. The Africa Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA), which will start trading on 1 January 2021, offers great promise. We are a leading supporter of AfCFTA negotiations as recently recognised by AfCFTA champion, President Issoufou of Niger. We will support the new Secretariat in Accra, national level implementation, as well as the on-going negotiations. These efforts will keep the UK at the forefront of African trade policy development, supporting delivery of our economic development and poverty reduction objectives, and drive the establishment of a new market for UK investors and businesses.

Exports: Trade Agreements

Viscount Waverley: To ask Her Majesty's Government whether there are any differences between the existing EU agreements and those that the UK has negotiated within the Trade Agreement Continuity programme that affect UK exporters; and if so, when business readiness advice will be published to help those exporters understand those changes.

Lord Grimstone of Boscobel: With our Trade Agreement Continuity programme, we have sought to replicate the effects of existing EU free trade agreements with trading partners to ensure continuity for businesses following the transition period. Whilst we have transitioned our existing EU agreements for the most part, in some cases we have applied bespoke solutions in individual agreements for technical reasons. Exact changes are specified in each Agreement and in its accompanying Parliamentary Report. HM Government is committed to ensuring that all British businesses can take advantage of the significant economic benefits of exporting. Our ambitious free trade agreement programme and market access work is already helping to unlock new opportunities for exporters worldwide. We provide direct support to both new and existing exporters, to make sure firms have the confidence and expertise they need to export around the world. Access to finance is also important to business, and the export finance available from UK Export Finance, our export credit agency, helps companies win export contracts, fulfil contracts, and get paid.